A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg :eggcorn PRONUNCIATION: (EG-korn) MEANING:noun: An erroneous alteration of a word or phrase, by replacing an original word with a similar sounding word, such that the new word or phrase also makes a kind of sense.For example: "ex-patriot" instead of "expatriate" and "mating name" instead of "maiden name".ETYMOLOGY: Coined by linguist Geoffrey Pullum (b. 1945) in 2003. From the substitution of the word acorn with eggcorn. Earliest documented use as a name for this phenomenon is from 2003, though the term eggcorn has been found going back as far as 1844, as "egg corn bread" for "acorn bread". ____________________________________________________

mondegreen PRONUNCIATION: (MON-di-green) MEANING: noun: A word or phrase resulting from mishearing a word or phrase, especially in song lyrics. For example:"The girl with colitis goes by" for "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes" in the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". ETYMOLOGY: Coined by author Sylvia Wright when she misinterpreted the line "laid him on the green" as "Lady Mondegreen" in the Scottish ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray". _________________________________________________N to L MOLDEGREENS - collard greens past their prime.

Anyone remember Bob Cain and the Canebreakers greatest and onliest hit? No? Good, I'll sing it here to the tune of the hymn "Just a closer Walk with Thee".

Just a bowl of butterbeans, Pass the cornbread if you pleaseI don't want no collard greensAll I want is a bowl of butterbeans

Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site.
Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to
hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.